For years fans have asked Marvel for a Black Widow movie, recognizing that Scarlett Johansson’s Russian spy had the potential for more outside of The Avengers. And for years, Marvel’s Kevin Feige has taken a “We’d like to, but we’ll see” stance when replying to those requests. Well, it’s finally happening. Or at least, the first steps to it happening have been taken with the hiring of screenwriter Jac Shaeffer.
A Black Widow movie is now in development, but cool your jets for now because it has yet to be green lit officially. Feige has been meeting with writers on the project and settled on Schaeffer, whose Black List script for The Shower, about an alien invasion that strikes during a baby shower, quickly gained her the attention of Anne Hathaway who will star in the movie. Hathaway and Schaeffer are also collaborating on Nasty Women, which has been described as the female version of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
Johansson has already met with Marvel to discuss what she’d like to see in a Black Widow movie, and it’s probably then that they discussed extending her contract. That’s assuming hers was due to expire post-Avengers 4 like so many others she helped build the MCU alongside.
I think Marvel missed the boat on Black Widow and should have done this years ago, but better late than ever. Don’t be surprised if an official announcement happens at Comic-Con this summer.
[Variety]
Through four decades and eight “core” Star Wars movies, there has been one composer whose music has powered so many unforgettable moments. Directors and stars come and go, but John Williams remains. His music is such a part of Star Wars that not having him around seems unfathomable at this point, and so it’s no shock at all to learn he’ll be back to compose Star Wars: Episode 9.
The 85-year-old Williams will return to write the score for Episode 9, which sees The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams back in the saddle. It’s been a busy year for Williams, having scored both The Last Jedi and Steven Spielberg’s The Post. If both earn Oscar nominations as many expect, they will be his 51st and 52nd, an all-time Academy record. Williams made his return known to Variety, saying “I would very much like to complete that” is what he told Abrams.
There doesn’t seem to be any slowing down just yet, and Williams certainly isn’t moving away from a galaxy far far away any time soon. He’ll provide the theme for this year’s Solo: A Star Wars Story while John Powell delivers the main score.
Wait a minute. I know this movie. Seriously, I went into this prepared to post a trailer for a movie I’d never heard of called The Vanishing of Sidney Hall. Then I watched the trailer and realized that I knew it from last year’s Sundance when it was simply titled Sidney Hall. I also seem to recall it not having a lot of buzz, which is perhaps why the new title. Whatever the case, the film is about to hit DirecTV in a couple of weeks and it has a cast that could make it a popular pick.
Directed by Shawn Christensen, who previously helmed the Oscar-winning short Curfew (later expanded into the feature Before I Disappear), the film assembles Logan Lerman, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Margaret Qualley, Tim Blake Nelson, Michelle Monaghan, Blake Jenner, Yahya Abdul-Mateen, Alex Karpovsky, and Nathan Lane. Damn. A mystery of sorts, it tells the story of an accomplished author who finds fame only for it to destroy his life. Here’s the complete synopsis:
Sidney Hall harbors a precocious talent for writing. His classroom essays exhibit a danger that some find off-putting, though one teacher recognizes his talent and urges Sidney to pursue a writing career. Early success with his first novel makes Sidney a celebrity, though his dystopian observations about suburbia provoke tragic outcomes among some young readers, cloaking his name in scandal. Heightened scrutiny and expectations haunt him, as do dark secrets from his past that complicate his creativity, and interfere with his chances of finding love with a childhood sweetheart. When the disillusioned writer has all but disappeared from public life, a mysterious detective seeks the answer to his mystery.
Yeah, the title makes you think it’s going to be a horror but clearly that’s not the case. The Vanishing of Sidney Hall hits DirecTV on January 25th, followed by a theatrical run beginning March 2nd.
We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free advance screening of 12 Strong, starring Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, and Michael Pena.
SYNOPSIS: The story of heroism is based on true events that unfolded a world away in the harrowing aftermath of 9/11 when a U.S. Special Forces team, led by their new Captain, Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth), is chosen to be the first U.S. troops sent into Afghanistan for an extremely dangerous mission. There, in the rugged mountains, they must convince Northern Alliance General Dostum (Navid Negahban) to join forces with them to fight their common adversary: the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. In addition to overcoming mutual distrust and a vast cultural divide, the Americans—accustomed to state-of-the-art warfare—must adopt the rudimentary tactics of the Afghani horse soldiers. But despite their uneasy bond, the new allies face overwhelming odds: outnumbered and outgunned by a ruthless enemy that does not take prisoners.
The screening takes place on Tuesday, January 16th at 7:00pm at AMC Mazza Gallerie. If you’d like to attend, register at the Warner Bros. ticketing site here. Please remember that all screenings are first come first served, and it’s likely to be crowded. You’ll want to arrive early to ensure receiving a seat. Enjoy the show!
Honestly, I’ve never seen a moment of Teen Titans Go!, but I have friends who swear by the Cartoon Network series based on the DC Comics heroes. Undoubtedly they will be stoked by this new trailer for Teen Titans Go! to the Movies, and I have to admit it looks like a Hell of a lot more fun than Justice League.
The original voice cast are back voicing Robin, Beast Boy, Starfire, Cyborg, and Raven, with Will Arnett as Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke and Kristen Bell as Jade Wilson. The film marks Cartoon Network’s first big screen effort since The Power Puff Girls Movie in 2002, and clearly they have no qualms about riding on the recent success of Wonder Woman.
Here’s the synopsis: When the Teen Titans go to the big screen, they go big! Teen Titans GO! to the Movies finds our egocentric, wildly satirical Super Heroes in their first feature film extravaganza—a fresh, gleefully clever, kid-appropriately crass and tongue-in-cheek play on the superhero genre, complete with musical numbers.
It seems to the Teens that all the major superheroes out there are starring in their own movies—everyone but the Teen Titans, that is! But de facto leader Robin is determined to remedy the situation, and be seen as a star instead of a sidekick. If only they could get the hottest Hollywood film director to notice them. With a few madcap ideas and a song in their heart, the Teen Titans head to Tinsel Town, certain to pull off their dream. But when the group is radically misdirected by a seriously Super-Villain and his maniacal plan to take over the Earth, things really go awry. The team finds their friendship and their fighting spirit failing, putting the very fate of the Teen Titans themselves on the line!
If the plot didn’t tell you this isn’t a film to be taken too seriously, perhaps the fart jokes will do it. Teen Titans Go! to the Movies opens July 27th.
How ready are you for a Superman series that has 0% Superman? Hopefully, VERY ready because that’s what Syfy’s new series, Krypton, promises to give you. However, there is a very deep dive into Kryptonian lore, politics, and more, including a vast conspiracy to wipe Superman out of existence.
The trailer for season one has arrived and it looks like one of the network’s most ambitious efforts yet. Time travel is being employed to keep Superman’s story firmly in the mix, as a villain from the future ventures back centuries to try and keep him from ever being born. The only one who can stop it? Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe), Superman’s grandfather who is aided by the DC Comics hero, Adam Strange. You can’t bring in someone like Strange and keep things tied down on Krypton, and sure enough it’s been teased that we may see other DC heroes, even the Green Lantern Corps.
The series comes our way from showrunner Cameron Welsh, with Man of Steel writer David Goyer on board as exec-producer.
I’m not sold on this at all, but then I really hated Supergirl at first and it more than won me over. Perhaps Krypton will be worth giving a shot when it premieres on March 21st. And nope, it’s not connected to the Arrowverse. For now. When it gets canceled and picked up by The CW that’ll change.
A coming-of-age film titled Flower might come with certain preconceived notions, but those are quickly shattered by the trailer for Max Winkler’s new film. Zoey Deutch, who is awesome in pretty much everything, goes full-on vigilante in a story that tackles with an irreverent sense of humor the timely issue of child predators. Nope, Lady Bird this ain’t.
Deutch plays Evelyn, a high schooler who lives to start trouble. We see her running from the law, punching fellow students, making out with her sidekicks, and extorting a corrupt LA cop (Adam Scott) accused of molesting her brand new stepbrother, just released from rehab for mental instability. What could go wrong? And even if it did, would Evelyn care?
It kinda looks like a combination of Hard Candy and The Edge of Seventeen, and if it lives up to that potential we could be seeing something special.
Also starring Kathryn Hahn, Tim Heidecker, Joey Morgan, Dylan Gelula, and Maya Eshet, Flower opens March 16th.
Can we have every year start off with a Paddington movie? The world would be a much nicer place, I think. In early 2015, Michael Bond’s lovable bear with the marmalade obsession charmed us all in a film that overflowed with sweetness, kindness, and adventure. Now a few years later and director Paul King has delivered to us a sequel that steals our hearts just as easily. If ever there’s a need for a Paddington cinematic universe or something, anything to keep the franchise going as long as possible, then Paddington 2 is it.
Quietly, the Paddington films have some of the most gorgeous production design of any animated movie in recent years. Brightly-colored, literally popping off the screen with Wes Anderson-like pastels, Paddington 2 zips us into a pop-up book version of London. It’s there that we find Paddington, happily fitting into the life of the Browns who have made him a part of their family. But more than that, Paddington has been accepted by the town as a whole. His presence makes everything just run better, smoother, and happier.
“If you’re kind and polite, the world will be right”
It’s a lesson often repeated as Paddington (again voiced by Ben Whishaw) makes his way through a series of light misadventures involving those who aren’t so kind and definitely aren’t polite. But the message has its origin from Paddington’s Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton), who we see in flashback rescuing a very young Paddington from a watery doom. Many bear years later and her birthday has arrived, and Paddington hopes to gift her with a very special “popping book” found in an antique shop. It’s his way of showing the bear who raised him a little bit of London, since she never had the chance to go herself.
Awwwww shucks.
Yeah, those are the stakes. Paddington needs to get that book, and he starts by working odd jobs that go disastrously at first, like cleaning a barber shop (haircut nightmare) or washing windows. Just as he’s a day away from having enough to buy it, *POOF!* it’s gone, stolen away by nefarious washed-up actor Phoenix Buchanan, played with gusto by Hugh Grant.
I’m telling you, the folks at Marvel and DC should call the Paddington folks about creating great villains. I’d take Phoenix Buchanan over Ultron or Steppenwolf any day. Not only does Phoenix steal away with the book, but Hugh Grant steal away every scene he’s in. A master of disguise who does everything with a theatrical flourish, Phoenix is like the long-lost cousin of Lemony Snicket’s Count Olaf. Grant is having way more fun than everybody, and everybody looks to be having a darn good time. Phoenix is basically the polar opposite of everything Paddington stands for; he’s the perfect villain to highlight why Bond’s creation has endured for more than 50 years and entertained millions.
Not that we mind spending more time with Paddington and the Browns, it does take a little while for the plot to kick into gear. After a rousing Tintin-esque chase through London’s streets, Paddington is framed for the book’s theft and sent to prison, where the film somehow becomes an even greater delight. Think of kindly, sweet-natured Paddington in a prison full of hardened criminals, only to have him mess up the laundry and turn everything pink. Think of innocently naïve Paddington running afoul of the prison chef, Knuckles (Brendan Gleeson), only to win over over his heart and taste buds with a well-timed marmalade sandwich. Pink-hued prison musical numbers and daring escapes are soon to follow. Somehow this diversion into Cell Block Fun remains both kid-friendly and entertaining to adults just looking for a good time. It gets a little messy following Paddington’s exploits behind bars (making hundreds of marmalade sandwiches is tough!), the efforts of the Brown family to clear his name, and a convoluted walk through Phoenix’s family history, but these are such enjoyable characters to be around that it hardly matters. The Browns, led by the great Sally Hawkins as the thrill-seeking Mrs. Brown, are a quirky complement to Paddington. But I think Gleeson really shines in the kind of role he’s always been good at, that of the bruiser with a heart of gold.
Then again, everybody has a heart of gold when Paddington is around. His generosity and caring nature are infectious, and so is Paddington 2 for anyone looking to start their year feeling a little better about the world.
Even though Eleven was pretty much the least interesting part of Stranger Things’ second season, its hard to dispute that Millie Bobby Brown is the show’s MVP. She’s just begun to parlay that success into a big screen career, landing a role in next year’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. And now she’s landed a movie franchise all to herself, based on one of literature’s most enduring characters.
Brown will star in and produce a film series based on the Enola Holmes Mysteries novels, authored by Nancy Springer. Enola Holmes is the brilliant younger sister of Sherlock Holmes, and a more than capable detective in her own right. There are six books that Springer has published so far, beginning with 2006’s The Case of the Missing Marquess. Her siblings Sherlock and Mycroft appear in the novels, and a big theme appears to be Enola’s attempts to convince them she is every bit as smart as they are.
The project is set up at Legendary, the same studio behind Godzilla, so they are clearly investing a lot to be in the Millie Bobby Brown business. If the first film is a hit you can bet we’ll see the story of Enola Holmes grow into a franchise. [Deadline]
The X-Men have a couple of resident ninja white girls on their team, and one is apparently about to get her own movie from the director of Deadpool. Collider reports that Tim Miller is actively developing a Kitty Pryde film, which he might direct himself. The project is being set up at 20th Century Fox, so we’ll have to see how far this goes once the deal with Disney is finalized.
Sorry, no Psylocke movie starring Olivia Munn. Yet.
There aren’t many details on the Kitty Pryde film at all, and who knows if there ever will be. Any projects developing under the Fox banner have to be considered tenuous at this point, but it’s good to know they are moving ahead as if nothing has changed.
Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat, aka Ariel, aka Sprite, aka Star-Lord (yep, that one), is one of the most enduring creations of X-Men creators Chris Claremont and John Byrne. A regular girl from Illinois, she developed the mutant power to “phase”, her word for becoming so intangible she can pass through walls, people, pretty much anything. She joined the X-Men and fell under the protection of Wolverine, who has a (creepy) fondness for caring over young girls. As she grew older, Kitty would become his equal in almost every way, but his superior when it came to team leadership. She would go on to have crazy adventures as part of the U.K. team Excalibur, in Japan alongside Wolverine, and later on in space as part of the Guardians of the Galaxy in one of Marvel’s most questionable recent moves. She’s been an agent of SHIELD, learned martial arts and fought against The Hand…pretty much everything. Oh, and she has a pet dragon named Lockheed.
There are so many potential stories to be told with Kitty, so chances are we won’t see a rehash of what they did on the big screen before when she was played by Ellen Page in multiple X-Men movies. Chances are they just start over from scratch, which is probably the best idea.
We’ll see where this goes. Miller is already gearing up for his Terminator reboot, so if this happens at all it will be a ways off.
